Long nose flush cutting pliers



M. A. KLEIN, JR 2,903,790

LONG NOSE FLUSH CUTTING PLIERS Sept. 15, 1959 Filed Sept. 29, 1958INVENTQR.

Wm Qim 2,903,790 Patented Sept. 15, 1959 nice LONG NOSE FLUSH CUTTINGPLIERS Mathias A. Klein, Jr., Wilmette, Ill., assignor to Mathias Kleinit Sons, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September29, 1958, Serial No. 764,095 4 Claims. (Cl. 350-434) The presentinvention relates to novel long nose pliers which provide worthwhileadvantages in the wiring of complex electronic circuitry and the like.In wiring television sets, for example, it is necessary to work throughlimited spaces to secure component leads and other small wires tointerconnecting structure. The excess length of connected wiring is cutoff and the cuttings removed so as not to cause electrical shorts.

The matter of cutting off and removing the ends of connected wires inthe assembly of electronic circuitry has been an inherently tedious andtime consuming element in the manufacture of electronic gear, whichbecomes increasingly significant as the electrical components are packedcloser together in electronic assemblies designed to operate at higherfrequencies. Moreover, the operating characteristics and functionalproblems associated with high frequency operation place a premium oneliminating excess or unused wire from such apparatus. These functionalcharacteristics and the extremely compact construction of high frequencyelectronic circuitry also increase the need to provide positiveassurance that all cuttings are removed.

One object of the invention is to provide, for wiring high frequencyelectronic assemblies and the like, novel long nose pliers which can beused with extraordinary ease and efficiency to reach through smallopenings and cut off a remote wire flush with the side of a terminal orother body to which the wire is connected or from which it protrudes,the construction of the pliers providing for an automatic and absolutelyreliable gripping in the tool of the severed wire clipping or cutting asan incident to the wire cutting action of the pliers, thus providingpositive assurance that the cutting is removed with the tool.

Another object is to provide improved pliers as set forth in theprevious object which maintains a high, flush cutting efficiency over along service life of the tool.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from thefollowing description of the exemplary form shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

7 Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved pliers in open position;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal edge view of the pliers in closed position;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the tool taken with reference to the right endof Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the plier jaws taken along theline 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along theline 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating use of the tool incutting a wire off flush with a flat body through which it protrudes;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 77of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5 but showing a clipping heldbetween the plier jaws.

As shown in the drawings, the improved pliers 10 I in one direction fromthe hinge pin 16 and urged apart by a compression spring 23 at the baseof the handles.

The ends of the levers l2, l4 opposite from the handles 20, 22 areshaped to form a pair of thin, long nose jaws 24, 26 opposing each otheras shown.

The long, thin jaws 24, 26 are well adapted for working through crampedspaces in a typical electronic assembly 23 to reach, with the tips ofthe jaws, a wire 30 deep in the assembly, which is illustrated onlydiagrammatically in Fig. 6.

By virtue of a construction to be described presently in detail, theimproved pliers it can be worked with great ease and efficiency deepwithin an electronic assembly to cut off a projecting wire flush with asurface alongside the tool from which the wire protrudes. Such use ofthe tool may be visualized with reference to Fig. 6. Ordinarily theexcess length of a wire 30 connected to an electrical juncture element,such as a lug 32, will project beyond the element. If the connection issoldered, the wire projects beyond the solder.

As previously mentioned, it is highlydesirable in the construction ofelectronic assemblies, particularly those designed to operate at highfrequencies, that the excess length of wires be cut off flush withadjacent structure. The environment is illustrated in Fig. 6 in whichthe wire 30 projects to the left beyond the fiat side surface 34 of thelug 32 through which the wire extends and to which it may be joined bysoldering. Ordinarily it is not difficult in the construction ofelectronic assemblies to engage a typical surface 34 from which a wire30 projects by one side of the forward ends of the plier jaws, as shownin Fig. 6.

The projecting end of the wire 30 is cut off and automatically graspedfor removal from the electrical assembly 23 by the action of shearingstructure on the projecting ends of the jaws 24, 26. This structurecomprises a straight shearing edge 4i? formed on one side of the forwardend of the jaw 26 at. the intersection of a flat anvil surface 36 and astraight relief surface 38.

The flat anvil surface 36 is parallel to the hinge axis 18 of the tool.The relief surface 38 is formed by relieving, as by grinding, the sideof the jaw 26 generally opposite from the anvil surface 36. For apurpose to be described presently in greater detail, the flat reliefsurface 38 is oriented to intersect the anvil at an acute and very sharpangle. In the preferred construction shown, the angle between the reliefsurface 38 and the anvil surface 36 is approximately forty-five degrees.

Moreover, the straight shearing edge 49 formed at the juncture of therelief surface 38 with the anvil surface 36 is turned at a small anglewith respect to the longitudinal center line of the jaw 26. In thepreferred construction illustrated, this angle is approximately fifteendegrees, as indicated in Fig. 2. As will presently appear, the positionof the shearing edge 40 on' its jaw 26 maximizes the efiiciency withwhich wires in electronic assemblies can be reached and cut off flushwith surrounding surfaces.

The pliers 10 cut wire by a shearing action produced by the coaction ofthe shearing edge 40 with a shearing knife 4-2 formed on the opposingjaw 24 to shear slidably past and overlap the shearing edge 40 uponclosing the pliers, Figs. 2 and 5. A shearing edge 44 is formed on theknife 42 at the intersection of a knife shearing surface 46 and a kniferelief surface 48. The shearing surface 46 is perpendicular to the anvilsurface 36 and parallel and immediately contiguous to the shearing edge40 upon closure of the jaws 24, 26.

The knife relief surface 48 is a flat oriented to ineres thash r n s r ae 4611i a v r acute angle which preferably is less than rort nvedegrees. Thus, the relief surface 48 extending from the knife shearingedge 44 and the relief surface 38 extending from the shearingedge40would define, if extended to intersect each other, an outside anglelarger than one hundred andeigh'ty degrees. The significance of this inachieving a flush cutting action will be further developed P e e t It isnoteworthy that the shearing knife 42 projects from one longitudinalside of a clamping surface 50 on theijaw 24, which opposes the anvilsurface 36 so as to fit flat against the latterup on closing of thepliers. Both the clarnping surface 50 and the anvil surface 36 areknurled as indicated in Fig. 8.

The significance of the previously described orientation of the tworelief surfaces 38, 48 extending from the respective shearing edges 40,44 is illustrated in Fig. 7 taken in conjunction with Fig. 6. The reliefon the jaw 26 which extends down tothe surface 38, together with reliefon the knife 42 which extends down to the surface as described, enablethe user of the tool to place both shearing edges 40, 44 against a flatsurface 34 (Fig. 6) goeng g'e opposite sides of a wire 30 as it emergesfrom thesurrounding surface 34.

This capability of the tool to engage both shearing edges 40, 44 withopposite sides of a wire where the wire first emerges from a surroundingsurface, even though the surface may be fiat or slightly concave,enables the user to shear off the wire flush with the surface. Aspreviously intimated, easy engagement of the shearing edges 40,withsurfaces surrounding wires to be cut off in electronic assemblies isfacilitated by the slight inclination of the shearing edge 40, and alsothe shearing edge 44, relative to longitudinal center lines of the plierjaws.

Removal of the Wire sheared off by the tool is assured by the action ofthe jaws 24, 26, Which are stressed I during the wire shearing action,in snapping the knurled '54 in the opposing jaw as the tool is closed,Fig. 4.

Thus the side surface of the pin 52 abuts slidably against the sidesurface of the opening 54 to preclude any latei'al bending of the jaws24, 26 upon closing, which would displace the shearing edge 46 laterallyaway from the shearing edge 40.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will beapparent thatvariations and modifications thereof may be made withoutdeparting from I "the underlying principles and scope of the invention.I therefore desire, by the following claims, to include all suchvariations and modifications by which substantially the results of myinvention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same orequivalent means.

I claim:

n 1. For use in cutting on a remote wire flush with a surroundingsurface and removing the wire cutting, long nose pliers comprising, incombination, a pair, of crossing levers medially hinged together forswinging movement about a common axis, said levers defining two opposedhandles extending in one direction from said hinge axis and two opposedlong nose jaws extending in another direction from said hinge axis, theprojecting end of one jaw defining a fiat anvil surface thereon parallelto sa1d hinge axis and facing the other jaw, a straight 4 shearing edgeformed on one side of one jaw immediately adjacent said anvil surface,the side of said one jaw generally opposite from said anvil surfacebeing relieved to define a relief surface extending to said shearingedge at an angle with respect to said anvil surface materially less thana clamping surface formed on the projecting end of the other jawparallel to said hinge axis and opposingsaid anvil surface, a shearingknife formed on said projecting end of said other jaw and projectingtoward said one jaw, said shearing knife defining a shearing surfaceperpendicular to and projecting from said clamping surface and orientedto slide past said shearing edge in contiguous parallel relation theretoupon movement of said jaws together, and the projecting edge of saidshearing knife being relieved at the side generally opposite from saidshearing surface to define a knife relief surface extending to saidshearing surface at an acute sharp angle with respect to the latter.

2. For use in wiring electronic circuitry and the like, long nose flushcutting pliers comprising, in combination, a pair of crossing leversmedially hinged together for swinging movement about a common hingeaxis, said levers defining two opposed handles extending in onedirection from said hinge axis and two opposed long nose jaws extendingin another direction from said axis, the extreme projecting end of onejaw defining a flat anvil surface facing the other jaw, the extremeprojecting end of said other jaw defining a flat clamping surfaceoriented to abut fiat against said anvil surface upon swinging of saidjaws together, said extreme projecting end of said one jaw beingrelieved along one side to define a relief surface extending to astraight shearing edge formed at one side of said anvil surface at aslight angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to said hinge axis, ashearing knife on said projecting end of said other jaw, said knifeprojecting toward said one jaw from one longitudinal side of saidclamping surface and having a shearing knife edge defined by a shearsurface oriented to slide past said first mentioned shearing edge incontiguous parallel engagement therewith upon closure of the jaws and arelief surface on the knife edge intersecting said shear surface at anacute angle, and

said relief surface on said one jaw being inclined at a substantialangle away from the plane of said shear surface.

3. L'ong nose flush cutting pliers comprising, in combination, a pair ofcrossing levers medially hinged together for swinging movement about acommon hinge axis, said levers defining two opposed handles extending inone direction from said hinge axis and two opposed long nose jawsextending generally in the opposite direction from said axis, theextreme projecting end of one jaw defining a flat anvil surface parallelto said hinge axis and facing the other jaw, said one jaw defining ashearing edge along one side of said anvil surface, the extremeprojecting end of said other jaw defining a flat clamping surfaceparallel to said hinge axis and opposing said anvil surface, a shearingknife on said projecting end of said other jaw projecting toward saidone jaw to shear past said shearing edge thereon upon swinging of saidjaws together, said shearing knife defining thereon a shear surfaceperpendicular to said clamping surface and oriented to slide past saidshearing edge in parallel relation thereto upon swinging of the jawstogether, the side of said one jaw generally opposite from said anvilsurface being relieved to define a generally flat relief surfaceextending to said shearing edge at an acute angle with respect to saidanvil surface, the side of the projecting edge of said shearing knifegenerally opposite from said shearing surface being relieved to define agenerally flat knife relief surface extending to said shearing surfaceat an acute angle with respect thereto, said first mentioned reliefsurface and said knife relief surface being oriented so that therespective planes thereof intersect-each other at an angle at leastequal to a straight angle, and a reenforcing element projecting from amedial longitudinal portion of a first one of said jaws toward a secondone of said jaws and slidably overlapping a surface on the latter uponswinging of said jaws toward each other to reenforce the jaws againstbending such as would create space between said shearing edge and saidknife shearing surface upon closure of the jaws.

4. Long nose flush cutting pliers comprising, in combination, a pair ofcrossing levers medially hinged together for swinging movement about acommon hinge axis, said levers defining two opposed handles extending inone direction from said hinge axis and two opposed long nose jawsextending in another direction from said axis, the projecting end of onejaw defining a flat anvil surface parallel to said hinge axis and facingthe other jaw, one side of said one jaw defining a straight shearingedge forming one edge of said anvil surface, the projecting end of saidother jaw defining a flat clamping surface parallel to said hinge axisand opposing said anvil surface, a shearing knife on said projecting endof said other jaw projecting toward said one jaw to shear past saidshearing edge upon swinging of said jaws together, said shearing knifedefining thereon a shear surface perpendicular to said clamping surfaceand oriented to slide past said shearing edge in parallel relationthereto upon swinging of the jaws together, the side of said one jawgenerally opposite from said anvil surface being relieved to define agenerally flat relief surface extending to said shearing edge at anacute angle with respect to said anvil surface, the side of theprojecting edge of said shearing knife generally opposite from saidshearing surface being relieved to define a knife relief surfaceextending to said shearing surface at an acute angle with respectthereto, and said first mentioned relief surface and said knife reliefsurface being oriented so that the respective planes thereof intersecteach other at an angle which is at least approximately equal to astraight angle.

No references cited.

